Chapter 169: Tournament Preparations

The Second Mock Battle Tournament.

Since we had already decided well in advance to hold it again, we started preparations earlier this year.

There are a lot of things to take care of, but right now the top priority is the mock battle tournament.

The first one was a big success, and since I want to turn this into a yearly event, the second one absolutely cannot flop.

So, putting farm work aside for now, Sheila and I focused on organizing the tournament.
We discussed the flow of things while building the arena and setting up a spectator area.

We also decided on the rules beforehand to keep the matches easy to follow, and put together a large board where we could post papers.

On top of that, we prepared prizes, and to make sure even non-participants could enjoy themselves, we came up with a prediction game where they could guess the winner.

There had even been a suggestion to bet on the matches, but we scrapped that since it might hurt public order. Instead, we went with the winner-prediction game.

The rules were simple: pick three people from the participants you think have a shot at winning. If you guessed correctly, you’d get a prize of Japanese snacks.

At first glance, it seems safest to choose solid contenders like Ren or Sheila. But since the prize would be split among all the correct guessers, if someone with fewer bets on them won, you could walk away with a mountain of snacks all to yourself.

And since each person got three picks, that basically ensured every contestant would get some cheering.

With those new ideas in place, the other big highlight, of course, was the food.

Once again, I had asked Norman-san to take charge, and he readily agreed.

In fact, since the tournament was only two days away, he said he’d come early and arrive this morning, so I’d been waiting all day for him.

Sure enough, just past noon, Norman-san arrived by carriage—with a huge load of luggage.

It was clear from that alone how much effort he was putting into this. And as someone equally invested in making this tournament a success, I couldn’t be more grateful.

“Norman-san, thank you so much for coming early. Still… that’s quite a lot of baggage you’ve brought.”

“Ah, well… if it’s all right with you, Sato, I’m actually thinking of moving here for good. That’s why I brought so much with me.”

“Eh!? You mean you won’t be going back after the tournament, but actually moving here?”

“That’s right. Of course, if you can’t take me in just yet, I’ll return to the capital for the time being.”

“No, we’d be glad to have you, but… are you sure this is okay? Don’t you have to settle things with your restaurant?”

“I’ve already done that. Ever since you first said I could come live here, I made up my mind and began transferring everything. The owner understood and gave me a proper send-off. So don’t worry—it was an amicable departure.”

It was such a pleasant surprise that I was honestly thrilled.

Since it was an amicable resignation, I didn’t have to feel awkward continuing trade with his old shop, either. Though of course, I should still pay my respects to the landlady in person.

“In that case, please do come live here. We’ve got a house ready for you, and you won’t have trouble finding work either.”

“Thank you for accepting me so readily, even with such short notice. From now on, as one of the residents here, I’ll do my part to make the tournament lively.”

“That’s reassuring! I look forward to working with you.”

And just like that, Norman-san officially became one of our villagers.

I imagine he’ll be handling nearly all meals aside from breakfast.

His skill with local ingredients is top-notch, and since we can’t eat Japanese food every day, raising the quality of our everyday meals is a blessing.

More than that, once we eventually get into cooking monster meat, having a professional chef around will be invaluable.

The magic tools for that still aren’t ready, so I haven’t been able to act as a true “rare delicacy hunter” yet—but once I do, I’ll be counting on his help.

“Well then, let me put my things down first, and after that we’ll go over the dishes for the tournament.”

“Of course. I’ve already picked out a few otherworldly dishes we might want, so I’d appreciate your input.”

“More new recipes, huh? Ha ha ha, I can’t wait.”

“Please feel free to add your own original creations too, like last time. Cook to your heart’s content.”

“Even though that last one was so-so, you’re still giving me another shot. Thanks.”

“No no, it was definitely tasty! So don’t hold back.”

I told the bright-eyed Norman as I guided him to his new home.

Someday, once we can freely use ingredients from Earth, I’d like him to become head chef of the inn I plan to build here.

With that dream quietly in my heart, I wholeheartedly welcomed our new resident.

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